Ange Postecoglou has named a strong 23-man squad to face World Champions Germany and FYR Macedonia in Europe later this month as the Socceroos take the first steps along the path to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Postecoglou has rewarded the heroes who won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, with 18 members of the squad named alongside five players who have been given an opportunity to impress the Socceroos coaching staff.
Mark Bresciano, who recently retired from international football, injured duo Chris Herd and Robbie Kruse, Adelaide United goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic and Terry Antonis, who will be included in the Olyroos squad next week, are the only players not selected from the Asian Cup.
Coming into the squad are uncapped players Luke DeVere, Chris Ikonomidis and Tarek Elrich, Melbourne City midfielder Aaron Mooy and in-form Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici.
“This squad rewards the players who did a marvellous job in claiming the Asian Cup,” Postecoglou said.
“Winning the Asian Cup was a great reward for the hard work the players put in but we have been pretty consistent in our approach that the Asian Cup win is the start of a journey, not the end.
“The games in Europe offer an opportunity for the likes of DeVere, Elrich, Mooy, Federici and young Chris Ikonomidis. We continue to have one eye on the four-year World Cup cycle and these players have an opportunity to show us how they’ll handle the step up to international level.”
The matches against Germany and FYR Macedonia are the final two friendly games before the Socceroos commence the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June.
“We need to continue our development as we move forward from the Asian Cup victory and look towards the 2018 World Cup,” Postecoglou said.
“These two matches will offer us another test and will be a good indication of what is required to take the next step.”
Australia has faced Germany three times in full internationals since the reunification of Germany. Germany defeated the Socceroos 4-3 at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and 4-0 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup before the Socceroos beat Germany 2-1 in a friendly in 2011.
The Socceroos have played FYR Macedonia in one match, claiming a 1-0 victory in 1997 thanks to a late Aurelio Vidmar goal.
| Name | Club, Country | International Caps (Goals) |
| Aziz Behich | Bursaspor, Turkey | 9 (2) |
| Nathan Burns | Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand | 10 (0) |
| Tim Cahill | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C., China | 82 (39) |
| Jason Davidson | West Bromwich Albion F.C., England | 17 (1) |
| Luke DeVere | Brisbane Roar, Australia | – |
| Tarek Elrich | Adelaide United, Australia | – |
| Adam Federici (gk) | Reading FC, England | 9 (0) |
| Ivan Franjic | FK Torpedo Moskva, Russia | 18 (0) |
| Chris Ikonomidis | S. S. Lazio, Italy | – |
| Mile Jedinak | Crystal Palace FC, England | 56 (7) |
| Tomi Juric | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | 10 (2) |
| Mitchell Langerak (gk) | B.V. Borussia 09 Dortmund, Germany | 5 (0) |
| Mathew Leckie | FC Ingolstadt 04, Germany | 22 (1) |
| Massimo Luongo | Swindon Town FC, England | 11 (2) |
| Matt McKay | Brisbane Roar, Australia | 54 (2) |
| Mark Milligan | Melbourne Victory FC, Australia | 38 (3) |
| Aaron Mooy | Melbourne City, Australia | 4 (3) |
| Tommy Oar | FC Utrecht, Netherlands | 21 (1) |
| Mat Ryan (gk) | Club Brugge KV, Belgium | 19 (0) |
| Trent Sainsbury | P.E.C. Zwolle, Netherlands | 10 (1) |
| Matthew Spiranovic | Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia | 26 (0) |
| James Troisi | S.V. Zulte Waregem, Belgium | 21 (3) |
| Alex Wilkinson | Jeonbuk Hyundai FC, Korea Republic | 12 (0) |
RIP_Enke
Guest
3 goals in 4 appearances is a brilliant return as well, I'm happy he gets his chance.
Fadida
Guest
You're entitled to your opinion Jack. Even if it's very wrong :)
Slim
Guest
ol' mate, Ange is a diamond among rocks. He will transform Socceroos into a serious world team by the time he expands his talent pool. We have players with the same genetics as overseas players, money doesn't give a player more talent.Its a reward for having talent. In time, all will see us in a more deserved position in world rankings.
JAJI
Guest
"Cough" Scott Macdonald
mattq
Guest
....and I laughed
mattq
Guest
hopefully same with AUTD too. He's been great for us but I'd like to see us start planning for the future next season.
Jack
Guest
Completely disagree, SPL is a mile above HAL no shame in admitting that. McKay and mooy were never good enough to play in Scotland . Think it's bad policy not to take players simply as they are based in Scotland
Fadida
Guest
Mooy left Scotland 4 years ago. "killing it at Ross County" is like being the most talented player at the Jets, not hard :)
Fadida
Guest
McGowan is definitely not an "Ange player". Osama Maik can't be far off selection though.
Jack
Guest
So mooy who wasn't good enough at saint mirren gets a run ahead of Irvine who is killing it at Ross county?
James Anderson
Roar Guru
Is 31 retirement age? Cahill would disagree. 28 is the age that most athletes peak, and Elrich is a good example of this. Plays brilliantly in a ball-playing Adelaide United squad. Will suit Ange perfectly.
James Anderson
Roar Guru
He'll get a run against Macedonia. Great chance to blood new players
James Anderson
Roar Guru
Completely agree. Has always been a good player, but like Malik has really excelled under Gombau. Great attacking full-back who replaces Franjic like-for-like. He is also quite versatile, though his best position has to be RB.
Punter
Guest
I don't rate McGowan, he is not a ball playing defender that Ange likes. Looking forward to seeing Armenakas play, he comes with huge wraps.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Given the improvement from sides such as UAE and China, one may suggest the road to Russia won't be a walk in the park.
langou
Roar Guru
I would be surprised if anyone within the Australian set-up is thinking about Russia just yet. We need to qualify first and will only do so by picking out best possible squad.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Probably, yes. We have a need of depth for our full-back positions, not just for the final in Russia but for the campaign to get there also. Elrich is at the top of his game at the moment and may prove a vital cog in the qualifying process and, if his form & fitness holds, the finals. Adelaide will badly miss his drive forwards though.
Wynter
Roar Pro
Was wondering if McGowan would get in, alas On the subject of Ikonomidis another guy we need to get in soon is Panos Armenakas
Franko
Guest
At 28 and with a WC 3 years away, is it really worth experimenting with Elrich? It feels all warm and fuzzy but is this really the best prep for Russia? Derails an iffy AU defence as finals approach also...
Bob
Guest
I've always thought the FFA could adopt a model of "top up" payments to Socerroos that stay in Oz that bit longer. We're never going to compete with the big European leagues but an extra $100k/year would keep a lot of players from moving to Asia prematurely and risking their development as DeVere did